Hook-and-eye fasteners



Sept. 15,v 1970 M. wALDEs HOOK-AND-EYE FASTENERS Filed Jan. 22, 1969 Il llllllll IJIIIInJIIIJI J .w l

ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,528,140 HOOK-AND-EYE FASTENERS Milo Waldes, Roslyn, N.Y., assignor to Waldes Kohinoor, Inc., Long Island City, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 22, 1969, Ser. N0. 793,110 Int. Cl. A44b 19/34 U.S. Cl. 24-203 4 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A hook tape for a hook-and-eye fastener wherein the tape proper comprises a facing ply of a sightly material and a backing of a less sightly material and is so folded that only the sightly facing material is viewable throughout all exposed surfaces and along all exposed edges of the assembled hooked tape.

The invention relates generally to improvements in hook-and-eye fasteners, and more particularly to an improved construction ofthe hook tape component of such fasteners.

As is well known, the hook tape of a hook-and-eye fastener comprises a length of longitudinally folded fabric tape to be sewn to the edge of a garment opening or bra back strap, for example, to which is affixed a plurality of spaced-apart hooks for engagement and disengagement with correspondingly spaced eyes of a companion eye tape, which latter is to be sewn to the opposite edge of said garment opening or bra strap. Because hook-and-eye type fasteners are commonly used on garments which are worn in contact with or closely adjacent the skin, it has become more or less common practice to fashion the tapes from tricot, which is a knitted fabric or one so woven as to resemble a knitted fabric, having a soft feel and a sightly surface. However, because of its knit-like construction, tricot lacks the rigidity required for hook-tape applications, which deficiency was sought to be overcome by either special knits or resin finishes, but such did not prove to be wholly satisfactory. Later it was found that use of tricot as a hook-tape material was rendered acceptable to a degree by applying thereto a backing or lining of a non-woven synthetic fabric-like material which could be applied as a laminate to the under face of the tricot tape proper as by bonding, one such material found to be satisfactory being that commercially sold under the trademark Reemay. Thus, hooktape material of tricot having a lining or backing of Reemay bonded thereto has come into limited commercial use.

However, an objection to the use of the Reemay-backed tricot tape was early recognized, such arising from the fact that when such a tape and its fastener hooks are assembled to one another in the same manner as was previously employed in the assembly of an unbacked tape made of woven cotton fabric, for example, and the nally assembled hook tape sewn to a garment edge or bra strap end, it was either bulky or in part unsightly, the latter because, rather than the more sightly tricot showing throughout the entire viewable surface of the hook tape, the less unsightly Reemay lining was viewable either along the edge of the tape sewn to the garment opening edge or along its opposite edge portion from which the hook bills project.

With the above in mind, a major object of the invention is the provision of a hook tape whose tape proper is of a laminated construction for strength, being comprised by an upper or facing ply of a soft and sightly material such as tricot and a backing ply of a reinforcing but less sightly material such as Reemay, wherein said 3,528,140 Patented Sept. l5, 1970 finished hook tape is characterized by the least possible bulk yet possesses a slightly appearance throughout its full viewable width and along its edges.

A more particular object of the invention is the provision of a hook tape whose tape proper is of laminated construction, being composed of facing and backing plies of which the outer or facing ply is made of a more sightly material than the backing ply, characterized in that said tape proper is so folded and the hooks are so assembled to the folded tape that the more sightly material of the facing ply is always viewable and conversely that the less sightly material of the backing ply is always masked from view, while at the same time the finished hook tape is of minimum bulk consistent with its being folded as aforesaid.

The above and other objects and features of advantage of the improved hook tape construction according to the present invention will appear from the following more detailed description thereof taken with the accompanying illustrative drawing, wherein FIG. 1 is a plan view of a short length of continuous hook-and-eye type fastener as manufactured and prior to its being severed into individual fastener lengths and applied as a garment or bra strap fastener, said View showing the hook tape of the invention as partially engaged and partially disengaged from the eye tape component of the fastener;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section through the hook tape of FIG. 1, taken on line 2-2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is a section generally correspoding to FIG. 2 but illustrating a hook tape as herein proposed secured to a garment edge or bra strap by the so-called sandwichtype application; and

FIG. 4 is a section similar to that shown in FIG. 3 but showing the hook tape of the invention secured to a garment edge or bra strap by the so-called single-needle application.

Referring to the drawing in greater detail, reference numeral 10 (FIG. l) designates the longitudinally folded tape proper and reference numeral 12 the spaced-apart hooks of a hook tape generally designated 14 constructed according to the present invention and shown to be partially hooked to and paritally unhooked from a companion cascaded-type eye tape generally designated 16 provided by a folded tape proper 18 and laterally spaced rows of eyes 20 adapted to be engaged by the aforesaid hooks 12. As intended to be indicated in FIGS. 2-4, the tape proper 10 of the hook tape 14 to which the present invention is primarily directed is of laminated construction, being formed by an outer or facing ply A of a relatively soft and sightly material such as tricot and a strengthening ply B preferably of a non-woven polyester sheet material such as that commercially sold under the trademark Reemay.

As explained in the introductory portion hereof, there earlier arose the problem attendant to the use of Reemaybacked tricot as the material of the tape component of a hook tape of a hook-and-eye fastener of how to fold the tape proper (with folding being required both to mount and present the hooks in the conventional manner) so that the more sightly tricot material of the facing ply A would show on all viewable faces and along all edges and/or fold lines of the tape, this in view of the fact that if a -Reemay-backed tricot tape were folded in the usual manner employed in folding plain cotton tape for hooktape use, either the unsightly Reemay-backing B will show along at least the hook-carrying edge of the tape or the tape must be so folded that it is objectionably bulky.

This problem is solved according to the present invention by initially so folding the Reemay-backed tricot tape proper of the hook tape as to achieve the desirable result that when the folded tape is thereafter sewn to a garment edge or strap end, only the tricot material of the facing ply A is viewable throughout the full length and width of the folded tape, and at the same time the folded tape has minimum thickness or bulk consistent with the requirement that it have folded construction.

More particularly and as will be evident from a consideration of FIGS. 2-4, the invention provides that the tape proper with the more sightly material of ply A showing by virtue of the tape being disposed rightside up is, prior to assembly of the hooks 12 therewith, folded in zigzag fashion on itself along two parallel longitudinal lines of fold designated f1, f2 (sometimes hereinafter termed first and second lines of fold), which results in the folded tape having modified Z-section as irnparts three thicknesses thereto, i.e. upper, middle and lower thicknesses. By further reference to FIGS. 2-4 inclusive, it will be seen that the aforesaid line of fold f2 is set back (to the right in said views) from the free marginal edge of the upper thickness of the so-folded tape which ultimately is to be sewn to the garment edge or strap end; that the lower thickness of the folded tape has width (rightwise extension) somewhat greater than twice the width of said upper thickness; and finally, that only the more sightly material of the upper play A is viewable when the folded tape is viewed from above.

FIGS. 2-4 also show the manner of assembly and securement of the hooks 12 with respect to the folded tape 10. More particularly, the eye portions 12e of the hooks are accommodated in the longitudinally extending pocket or space defined top and bottom by the middle and lower thicknesses and the fold f2 of the folded tape, in position such that the bills of the hooks project over the fold f1 and thence overlie the upper thickness of the folded tape. Finally, the so placed hooks are secured by double lines of stitches designated s1 and s2, which it will be observed secure the aforesaid three thicknesses of the tape together along an intermediate width zone thereof, in addition to securing the folded tape and hooks in the fully assembled position of the latter.

The hook tape of the invention can be applied to a garment edge or the end of a lbra back strap, for example, which latter is generally indicated by the reference character E (FIGS. 3 and 4), in either of two ways.

More particularly and refering now to FIG. 3 illustrating one of said ways which is known in the industry as the sandwich application, the aforesaid Wider lower thickness of the folded tape (with hooks already assembled thereto as in FIG. 2) is folded under on itself along a third longitudinal line of fold designated f3, which disposes the initially right-side free marginal portion of the tape edge below the opposite or left-side marginal edge portion thereof, which latter in part defines the upper thickness of tape. Such additional folding results in the formation of a second longitudinal pocket which is defined top and bottom by the aforesaid lower (now the third) thickness of the tape and the lowermost or foldedunder thickness thereof which extends between the fold line f3 and said opposite or initially right-side tape edge. The garment edge E is inserted into this pocket, being thereby sandwiched in between said lower and lowermost tape thicknesses and is affixed to the so-folded tape by a line of stitches designated s3 passing through both marginal tape edges and the sandwiched garment edge E.

The second form of possible tape-togarment edge or strap-end application known in the industry as the singleneedle application is generallyV depicted in FIG. 4. Such requires folding of the tape just as for the sandwich application but instead of the garment edge or strap end being pocketed or sandwiched as in FIG. 3, the fourthickness folded tape with hooks secured thereto as described is laid fiush against the relatively upper or outer face of the garment edge or strap end E and thereupon it is sewn thereto by a line of stitches corresponding generally to the aforesaid line of stitches s3 which secures the fold of the tape together along its both outside edges or margains, and preferably by yet another line of stitches designated .s4 which passes through said lower and lowermost tape thicknesses along a line closely adjacent the aforesaid line of fold f3.

But regardless of which form of folded tape-to-garment edge or strap end application is followed, it is to be observed that the under folding of the tape along the aforesaid fold line f3 is consistently in manner such as renders viewable the more sightly ply A of the tape along the edge of the folded tape from which the hooks 12 project, this in addition to said more sightly ply being disposed right-side up throughout the full Width of the viewable upper surfaces of the folded tape.

Without further analysis, it will be appreciated that the present invention provides a simple but effective solution to the hitherto non-resolved problem of so folding the tape proper of a hook tape made of a sightly facing material and a backing of less sightly material that only the sightly material is viewable throughout all viewable surfaces and edges of the folded tape, without any unnecessary folding of the tape as imparts objectionable bulkiness thereto. However, as many changes could be made in carrying out the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a hook-and-eye fastener, a hook tape comprising a tape proper and a plurality of hooks secured to said tape at spaced intervals along the length thereof, said tape having a facing ply of one material and a backing ply of a less sightly material than said one material, said tape with said one material disposed relatively upwardly being folded on itself along first and second longitudinal lines of fold and in Zig-zag fashion to modified Z-section and thus having three thicknesses, of which the upper thickness extends from one marginal edge of the tape to the first line of fold, the middle thickness extends between said' rst and second lines of fold and the lower thickness extends from said second line of fold to the other marginal edge of the tape, said lower thickness being offset laterally and in direction away from said one marginal edge from said upper thickness and having approximately twice the width of said upper thickness, each of said hooks having an attaching portion and a bill portion, said attaching portion of the hooks being accommodated in the longitudinal pocket defined by said middle and lower thicknesses and the second line of fold and said bill portions projecting over the first line of fold' and thence overlying said upper thickness, and plural lines of stitches passing through all said three thicknesses and said attaching portions of the hooks and securing the latter to the tape as aforesaid.

2. A hook tape according to claim 1 combined with a garment edge, wherein said wider lower thickness of said tape is folded under on itself along a third longitudinal line of fold, thereby to provide said tape with an additional thickness, and said four thicknesses of the tape with hooks secured thereto are sewn to said garment edge, and wherein all said folding is such as to dispose the one material in outwardly facing and viewable position.

3. A hook tape and garment edge combination according to claim 2, wherein said third and additional thicknesses of the folded tape and said third line of fold define a pocket and said garment edge is enclosed Within said pocket.

4. A hook tape and garment edge combination according to claim 2, wherein said folded tape is secured flush against the relatively outer surface of the garment edge.

(References on following page) References Cited UNITED 6 FOREIGN PATENTS 596,654 4/1934 Germany. 636,265 9/1936 Germany.

STATES PATENTS Goss 24-228 Roseman. W. H. SCHROEDER, Assistant Examiner Roseman 24--203 Odell 24-203 XR U'S' Cl' XR Ruiz 24-203 XR 10 2-265; 24-228; 112-407 

